Side Jobs and Odd Stories
by Asche Angel 46
Summary: This is the one shot collection I promised forever ago for the Who We Are 'Verse. If you haven't read Who We Are, I highly suggest it. Otherwise you may be a little lost and confused.
1. Didn't Need to See That

**AN** : Well, here it is! I know I promised this a while ago, but many things have eaten away at my free time lately. I'm not ready to let go of the Who We Are 'Verse though so this will be a one-shot dump for scenes I had to cut or things you guys wanted to know more about. Seriously, this is for you guys. As a thank you and an apology for making you wait so long for the end of WWA this sucker will be mostly driven by you lovely people. Send me a topic, a word, an idea, whatever; anything you want to know more about in this 'Verse or that you wish I explored. Two notes: 1) I don't write smut (it's not really my forte) and 2) I don't write slash, unless it's supported by canon. Thank you all for sticking it out with me through WWA; you've been fantastic!

 **Disclaimer** : Despite my best efforts, I still do not own _Young Justice_. We'd have a season three by now if we did and Wally most definitely would not be gone!

 **Summary** : This is the first time Wally and Artemis officially meet Red Arrow when they're "off the clock". It takes place just after they've left the team. I wanted to add it for a more lighthearted break before things got heavy, but I thought it would give too much away.

* * *

Wally and Artemis had been on the run, so to speak, for the past six days. They didn't think the League had sent out anyone to chase them down, at least not yet, but they weren't going to take any chances. They'd spent the first day reassuring their mothers that everything was all right, despite how angry they obviously were about something, and making up some sort of excuse to be gone all summer before racing over to their hideout and clearing out everything they could carry. Anything they couldn't take with them was locked down and password protected as heavily as Artemis was able. Any hard copies of data or plans and any serums Wally had mixed were thoroughly destroyed or diluted. It hadn't been so bad at first, but after spending the last couple nights in uncomfortable hotel rooms they decided a change of pace was in order.

"Are you absolutely sure this is the best idea?" Wally asked, hiking his bag further up his shoulder and glaring sullenly at the door in front of him. "The hotel beds aren't that bad."

"I slept on the floor last night because it was more comfortable," Artemis shot back, though she glanced uneasily at the door as well. "And this isn't the worst idea either of us has ever had."

"Close enough," Wally mumbled as she reached out and knocked on the nondescript white door. He shot another glance down the empty street and eyed a patch of shadows by the streetlight suspiciously. He could have sworn he just saw it shift. "How do we even know she's here?" he asked. "She could be anywhere."

"Then we'll pick the lock and spend the night here anyway," Artemis replied, a frown tugging at her lips. She raised a finger up to her mouth for silence and pressed her ear to the door. "I think I hear something though," she whispered after a minute. She knocked again and stepped back on the stoop to wait.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Wally sighed as he stepped forward. He sent a quick smirk towards Artemis before reaching up and pressing the doorbell. He waited a couple seconds and pressed it again repeatedly. "You've got to be annoying about it," he winked at the blonde.

"The hell is your problem?" a male voice snarled as the front door was ripped open.

"Um," Artemis and Wally said together. They stared, dumbfounded at the older red head standing in front of them, dressed only in a pair of boxers. He stared back, mouth hanging open and bright blue eyes wide. His face started to take on a rosy hue as no one said anything.

"Well, this is certainly awkward," a female voice purred as she stepped up behind the man in the door and wrapped her arms around his waist. She rested her chin on his shoulder and grinned widely at the two teens on her doorstep. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, baby sister?"

"Um, we need a place to crash for the night," Artemis replied, her eyes still glued to the man in front of her. "Jade, what the hell is this?" she asked, finally managing to look into her sister's laughing eyes.

"I'm not running a hotel you know," Jade replied, completely ignoring Artemis' question. "There are a few a couple blocks over."

"We're running short on cash," Wally told her, staring resolutely at the doorframe over their heads. "Honestly, we were hoping you wouldn't even be here."

"So you'd break into someone else's home while they're away?" Jade grinned wider. "That doesn't seem very hero-like of you."

"Good thing we're not heroes then, isn't it?" Wally growled back, briefly looking into Jade's eyes.

The grin abruptly dropped off of Jade's face. "What happened?" she demanded.

"I don't think the doorway is the best place for this conversation, do you?" Roy interrupted, the blush still raging across his face.

"Probably not," Jade admitted with a sigh as she stepped back and pulled Roy with her. "Well, get your asses in here then."

Wally and Artemis exchanged a quick glance. "This was your idea," the younger red head reminded her.

"I know, but after that I'm beginning to think another lumpy bed wouldn't be such a bad idea, no matter how low our funds are at the moment," Artemis sighed. "All right then."

Wally reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing tight as they stepped across the threshold. The second they were both clear Jade slammed the door closed behind them and stepped further into the little apartment. The older girl had at least tied a robe around herself before coming to the door. She led the way to a small living room space and took a seat in one of the two armchairs. When no one else moved she looked pointedly from Wally and Artemis to the small love seat. The duo shuffled uneasily forward and hesitantly sat at the edge of the couch.

"I'm going to go put some clothes on," Roy mumbled, trying to make his way to the open door down a short hallway.

"You're fine," Jade waved, unconcerned. "Now, explain," she ordered the teenagers.

Twenty minutes later the two of them had talked themselves out and sat staring at the floor. "So that's why we're here," Artemis said.

"Your League is full of assholes," Jade commented, glancing over at Roy.

"Technically, I'm not a part of it," Roy shot back quickly. "I work in conjunction with them sometimes, but I'm solo."

"Whatever," Jade grumbled. "I still don't like them. Are you two okay?"

"Close enough," Wally shrugged. "We've been running for a few days, but we haven't picked up any tails yet."

"What does 'close enough' mean?" Roy asked, frowning at the younger red head. He hadn't had much of a chance to get to know these two, but the one mission he ran with them had left him impressed with the pair.

"We've needed to cut corners with food expenses," Artemis answered, glancing over towards Wally.

"I'll be right back," the older red head replied, turning to the kitchenette.

"Top shelf to the left of the microwave!" Jade called after him. "Are either of you hurt though?"

"Nothing new," Artemis replied. "Just some lingering scrapes from our last mission, but those have pretty much healed."

"You two can crash for the night, but I've already been here for three days myself," Jade told them. "We're all going to need to be out of here in the morning."

"Three days is a pretty long time for you to stay in one place," Artemis grinned suddenly, her gaze flicking over to Roy as he walked over and handed Wally a handful of granola bars.

"This is one of mom's old hideaways," Jade shrugged. "Not many people remember it anymore so I'm safe to linger."

"Okay, seriously, this is driving me nuts," Wally interrupted, passing a couple granola bars over to Artemis. He refused to acknowledge her when she tried to pass one back. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked, pointing between Roy and Jade. "I didn't know you two even knew each other."

"I've been trying to catch her for years," Roy mumbled, blush back in full force as he turned his head away from the couch.

"Looks like you've already caught her," Artemis smirked, looking remarkably like her sister for a moment.

"Please," Jade scoffed. "He's only here because I'm letting him be here."

"And I'm guessing the League doesn't know about this?" Wally asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced over at the other boy.

"Not exactly, no," Roy mumbled back, scratching the back of his head. "I'd kind of like to keep it that way too."

"We've got no reason to sell you out," Artemis shrugged. "Besides, it's not like we'll be in any position to tell them anything."

"So what's the plan then, baby sister?" the dark haired girl asked. "Or are you just running aimlessly."

"That's the other reason we're here," Artemis admitted. "We're actually looking to join the Shadows, but we don't exactly know how."

"That's a bit of a career shift for you," Jade frowned. "Especially since you didn't want anything to do with this life until your pet came along."

"Hey!" Wally exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "I'm not a pet!"

"She fed you, trained you, took you for walks," Jade retorted with a smirk in his direction. "It seems a lot like keeping a pet to me."

"And how would you know anything about it?" Wally demanded around a growl. "You took off the second you could."

"Guys, can we not do this please?" Artemis sighed. "Look, Jade, can you help us or not?"

"I can't get you in," she admitted slowly. "But I can point you in the right direction. For now though, I think we should all get some sleep; we've got to be out of here bright and early. Artemis, you can take the bed in the spare room. Your options are the couch or the floor out here," she added, grinning at Wally.

"We don't mind sharing a bed," Artemis dismissed as she stood. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"You may not mind," Jade practically purred. "But I'm not letting your boy anywhere near you until he knows there are consequences if he messes this up. You are my baby sister after all, Artemis."

"Oh, so I get to interrogate your toy then too?" Artemis questioned, eyebrow raised and arms crossed over her chest.

Roy audibly gulped, eyes darting back and forth between Jade and Artemis. He'd seen what happened when Jade interrogated someone once and if Artemis was even half as trained in the art, it would not be an experience he would walk away from without a few mental scars. He glanced over at the other male in the room and frowned when he saw him leaning back against the couch, hands behind his head, and a grin on his face as he watched the exchange. The boy had to be a masochist, or insane. Actually, the more he thought about it, that didn't seem too far off the mark.

"You know, I take issue with it being implied that I'm your toy," Wally laughed at the blonde.

"You are, now shut up," Artemis smirked back. "And you," she added, rounding on Roy. "Do you usually answer the door in just your boxers? Cause that seems rather…exposed." Her grin shifted to something much more cat-like and any doubts Roy had about Artemis and Jade being related instantly vanished.

"All right, enough of that," Jade sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter where I tell you to sleep, you'll both end up in the same place anyway," she added, spearing her sister and the younger red head with a look. "Just no funny business."

"Looks like you and Roy have that covered," Wally laughed as Artemis grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the room. He ducked quickly and shot a cheeky grin over his shoulder when the knife the older woman had thrown thudded into the wall behind him. "Gonna have to be a lot faster than that," he snarked.

"Next time I won't miss!" she called after them, a scowl on her face. She waited for the tell-tale click of the door closing before she let out a sigh and hooked an arm around Roy. "Come on," she mumbled, dragging him with her back to their room.

"You okay?" Roy asked quietly, once they'd situated themselves beneath the covers.

"I'm worried about her," she admitted after a beat. "I'm worried about both of them really, even if Wally hates me."

"He hates you?" Roy questioned. "He seemed a bit tense, but I thought that was more to do with being in the same room with his girlfriend's overprotective sister."

"He's never forgiven me for abandoning Artemis like I did," Jade told him. "He may have been smiling and laughing, but he also made sure to stay loose and ready to move. He tracked me whenever I so much as twitched, and he stayed as close as possible to Artemis." She shook her head against the pillow. "Wally was ready for a fight since the moment he walked in through the door. Hell, I think a part of him was actively trying to start one. I don't blame him though," she added when Roy shot a look over his shoulder at their closed door. "What I did to Artemis was selfish and cruel. I'm glad she had him though; it made leaving a lot easier than it should have been."

The two fell quiet for a moment and Jade shifted closer, throwing an arm around the red head's waist. "We need to keep an eye on them," she decided, lifting her head up to stare down at her bed partner. "They don't know what they're getting in to and it sounds like they've burned a lot of bridges, they'll need people in their corner. I doubt they'll take any overt help from me, but promise me you'll reach out to them? Watch over them as best you can. They're playing a very dangerous game and I want them to have some sort of backup."

Roy only nodded in agreement and the pair shifted once more to get comfortable before drifting off to sleep. When he woke up the next morning Jade had already slipped away. Sighing to himself, he rolled out of bed and quickly threw on some clothes and packed his bag. He did a quick sweep of the room and cleaned it out as best he could. With one last look at the bed, he lugged his bag up onto his shoulder and trudged out into the kitchen.

"Didn't expect to see you two here," he said, glancing between the two teens seated at the counter munching on bowls of some sort of cereal.

"We couldn't exactly leave the same time Jade did," Artemis shrugged in response.

"Though I suppose we could have gone out the back window," Wally added. "But grabbing some breakfast sounded like a better option."

Roy just nodded and grabbed a bowl for himself. "Any idea where you're headed from here?"

"Not really," Artemis answered, handing over the milk. "And no offense, but we wouldn't really tell you if we did anyway."

"Fair enough," Roy replied as he shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. He swallowed quickly and put the bowl down, glancing between the younger teens again. "Look, it may not mean much, but I get your thing with the League," he told them.

"You still work for them" Wally snorted.

"No, I work with them, on occasion," the older red head replied. "I struck out solo because I was tired of them controlling my life and telling me what I was or was not ready for. I'm an independent entity. I'm a bit surprised I'm still in their database for the Zeta Tubes, to be honest, but we're getting off track here," he added with a shake of his head. "I'm trying to say that I get it and if you need an extra set of eyes or another body, or even just someone to talk to, you can comm me." He dug in his bag for a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled a couple numbers on it, and passed it over to Artemis. "It's a secure line that links directly to me," he told them. He gave them both a quick grin, tossed his bowl into the sink and hoisted his bag up once more. "If you guys could do a quick sweep and clean before you leave, that would be great." He tossed a wave over his shoulder and slipped out the front door into the early morning grey.

* * *

 **AN2** : And that's how I imagined Wally and Artemis getting Roy's number. I don't think they would have used it much (or at all really) before they got caught, but they still had it if they needed it. The second shot should be up soon, but this thing is mostly for you guys. If there's anything you want to see, or know more about, send me the ideas!


	2. Meet the Parents

**AN** : And here's shot two! An anonymous reviewer requested Wally and Artemis babysitting Lian and the League meeting Wally and Artemis' kids for the first time. I kind of combined the two so I hope this works!

Also, side note on this; I'm in grad school and juggling classes, an internship, homework, job hunting, and attempting to have some form of a social life. It may take me a bit of time to get new shots out, but I will try my best to stay on top of them as you guys send them in.

 **Disclaimer** : Nope, none of these characters are mine. Well, except for the OCs.

* * *

"I'm still not clear on why your sister thought it would be a good idea to leave her toddler with us," Wally said as he looked down at the dark haired little girl sitting on the floor of his living room. It had only been about three years since the whole blow up with the League and the Shadows, but a lot had changed. Wally and Artemis had graduated high school and moved all the way across the country to go to college in California. They still kept up with the vigilantism between classes and homework and even ran a support network of sorts for the teenagers that had been affected by the Shadow's serum but didn't want to join up with the Justice League. They probably would never be as large as the Justice League, but they did have a fair few members of their own group scattered across the globe. "We're not exactly the best people to ask to babysit."

"Her mother is also my sister," Artemis pointed out as she ran over and snatched one of her arrows from her niece's grasp. The little girl just giggled. "Clearly."

"You have a point," Wally frowned at the little bundle on his living room floor. "And I suppose we're free labor again?"

"Aren't we always?" Artemis replied before a chirping noise snagged her attention. She turned to the end table next to the couch and grabbed the communicator that was beeping at her.

"You've got Artemis," she greeted as she pressed the button to accept the call.

"Hey guys," a bright voice said, the sound of gunfire going off in the background. "It's Gravity here, and Hotshot. Um, how fast do you think you can get to Lima?"

"Peru?" Wally asked, coming to stand next to Artemis. "What are you doing down there. Last we heard you were in Hawaii."

"Yeah, well, Hotshot and I found out that our nasty little friends on the dark side were kidnapping the Dosed that have been laying low and we thought, 'Hey, you know what? We haven't given those guys hell in a while. Why don't we go stir up some trouble?' So we booked the first flight out here and well, we may have slightly underestimated this whole thing."

"How did you find out about the kidnappings?" Artemis replied. "We haven't heard anything about that."

"Well, it's all been Dosed that didn't join up with the League or network in with you guys," Gravity answered. "Oh, damn, just a sec." The speakers let out a crunching, scraping noise as though it had been dropped. "I'm on the phone you assholes!" Gravity's voiced called out, sounding slightly further away. "And flame for brains, what do you think you're doing leading them over this way?" The sound of gunfire resonated around the apartment for a moment, though screams were quickly on its heels. "Okay, sorry about that, I'm back," Gravity chirped after a minute. "So, you guys coming or what? Flame brain isn't exactly stellar back up when you want to be sneaky."

"No offense Gravity, but neither of you are really good with the whole sneaky thing," Wally chuckled. "Can you two pull out and fall back? We should be able to get there in about three hours."

"You got it Boss Man!" Gravity trilled. "Hotshot! Stop playing with your toys! Mom and Dad are on the way and want everything nice and neat when they get here!"

"I don't know why you insist on calling us that," Artemis groaned. "You're barely a year younger than we are."

"You drive this flying umbrella Boss Lady," Gravity laughed. "You keep us all in line and connected to each other. I'd say that's about what any self-respecting parent does."

"Ugh, whatever," Artemis sighed as she shook her head. "Just don't get killed till we get there, all right?"

"You got it! See you soon!" There was a short click and the line went silent.

Artemis pressed the button to close the line on her end and placed the communicator back on the side table. "So, what are we going to do with Lian?" she asked, turning to look at her niece giggling on the floor. A fond smile tugged at her lips for a moment.

"Shit, yeah," Wally said, rubbing the back of his head. "Um, I could go alone?" he suggested.

"No chance in hell," Artemis shot down. "Where you go, I go."

"Call Jade then?" the red head replied.

"I'm not interrupting date night," the blonde sighed. "The last time we did that was not pretty."

"Right, yeah," Wally shuddered. "That really just leaves taking her with us. We don't have anyone in the area that can come watch her."

"She should be okay," Artemis nodded, though a frown was pulling the corners of her mouth down as she looked down at her niece. "I mean, it's not like it's the first time she's been in the middle of a firefight, right?"

"Honestly Arty, I'd be surprised if she isn't already helping Jade on missions in some way," Wally grinned back.

It took the better part of an hour to get suited up and then find a way to protect Lian as Wally ran. Strapping her to Artemis' back while she piggybacked left them unable to make sure she was okay and sandwiching her between them was too dangerous as she could easily get squished. Eventually, they had to bundle her up as best they could and strap her to Wally's chest.

"You sure she's going to be okay?" the red head asked for perhaps the twentieth time as Artemis adjusted herself on his back, hooking her legs securely around his waist.

"It's the best solution we've got, just be careful," the blonde replied, wiggling just a bit more. "Okay, I'm ready when you are."

"Hang on tight then," Impulse said as he adjusted his googles and took off like a shot.

Two and a half hours later, Impulse skidded to a stop outside of an abandoned hotel and carefully let Artemis down.

"You made it!" a female voice squealed as a shorter girl with dark skin and purple, blue, and black hair in a pixie cut came running out to join them. She was dressed in mottled grey-green cargo pants and a dark top. "Ooohhh, and you brought our favorite little mascot with you!" she said as she ran over to pinch at Lian's cheeks. "Auntie and Uncle have you babysitting again?"

"Don't let Red Arrow here you call him that," Impulse grinned. "I think it makes him feel old."

"Oh, he's fine with it," Gravity waved off. "Well, he didn't hit me when he shot an arrow at me for it anyway," the girl grinned. "I'm taking that as a positive sign. Auntie just finds it funny."

"Of course she does," Artemis sighed. "Why don't we get inside and you can break down what we're looking at here. And tell us where you got your intel while we're at it."

"Aye, aye," Gravity mock saluted before she spun on her heel and led everyone back inside. The dilapidated exterior gave way to thread bare carpeting, doors barely hanging on by their hinges, and more broken windows than not. Gravity led the trio down a narrow hallway that branched sharply to the left at the end. Pale yellow-white light spilled out around a door near the end that was slightly ajar.

"You sure it's safe to have a light on like that?" Artemis asked as they eased their way into the small room. A broken bed frame with a sagging mattress had been pushed back against the far corner of the wall. A young man sat on top of a blanket, one arm pressed against his stomach. His other hand was open in front of him and a small flame flickered along the surface of his palm. "You're looking pretty pale Hotshot, and that's saying something for you."

"Took a bullet to the gut," the boy on the bed shrugged. "Gravity dug it out all right though, and she got me bandaged up. Bled for a while I guess."

"We didn't bring a med pack," Impulse said, stepping closer and moving the other boy's arm out of the way. "Did you burn it closed?"

"Didn't have much of a choice really," Hotshot answered. "It'll be fine, I'll heal eventually."

"All right, start talking then," Artemis said as she leaned up against the wall next to the door.

"Okay, so, we were in Hawaii right? Mostly just chilling and enjoying the sun and beach, yeah?" Gravity began, speaking quickly. "Anyways, so we're not really doing all that much when some bargain basement thugs end up at the bar Hotshot and I are hustling in for the week and they get drunk enough to start talking about this job posting on the DarkNet that's paying really well. All you gotta do is kidnap a few kids that no one's gonna miss cause they're, like, street kids or something. Then another guy says yeah, it pays well, but those kids are some of the weird ones with powers. Hotshot and I got interested, contacted Wire to do some digging, and she got us this place in Lima."

"And they've been taking Dosed kids for sure?" Impulse asked.

"Seems like," Hotshot shrugged. "We didn't see anything, but everything Wire found online indicated Dosed."

"Anyone we know missing?" Artemis asked, frowning when she thought she heard a scuffle outside. She held up a hand for silence, tilting her head a bit towards the door. She pressed closer to the wall and barely dared to breathe. For a moment, there was nothing but silence on the other side of the wooden barrier, then an echoing clang sounded from further off and she immediately sprang into action. "Hotshot, Gravity, you're on babysitting duty while we go find out what that was," she said as she pulled her bow from its holster and carefully drew an arrow.

Impulse undid the sling keeping Lian to his chest and handed her over to the bouncing girl in the corner. "Don't let her play with anything dangerous, we don't need any wars triggered," he told Gravity as he handed the little girl over, a smirk on his face.

"Look, it's not my fault she went near those launch codes," Gravity pouted as she took the two year old into her arms. "Besides, you and mom needed help. It was either put her down or let the both of you get shot!"

"Just don't let her leave this room and I think we'll be okay," Impulse chuckled before his expression grew serious. "Will you guys be okay here?"

"We've still got our powers," Hotshot reminded the red head. "Anyone that comes through the door will be flattened or charred. Gotta protect the little princess after all," he added with a nod towards Lian, who giggled and made grabby hands at the boy on the bed.

"All right, we'll be right back then," Artemis replied, carefully easing the door open. "Standard check in code when we get back." She waited long enough to see Gravity and Hotshot nod before she slipped out the door, Impulse right behind her.

The pair trod lightly through the darkened hallways, Artemis leading the way with her bow halfway up and an arrow knocked. They stopped occasionally to listen for any more sounds, but heard nothing.

"Maybe it was a mouse?" Impulse suggested after another fruitless search down another empty hallway.

A loud crash followed by a shrill scream rang out behind them and Artemis only had the brief glimpse of lighting flashing in her partner's eyes before she was scooped up and they were rushing back the way they had come. Within moments they were back in the room with Gravity and Hotshot. Impulse let Artemis down and the blonde immediately rushed to the two year old left on the bed while her partner barred the doorway, a snarl pulling at his lips and a growl building in his throat.

Impulse was all set to dash forward at the intruder pinned to the wall when he pulled up short, blinked a few times, and took a step back. "You can let him go Gravity," he said over his shoulder. "And you might as well stop trying to roast him Hotspot, it's not going to work."

The other two teens immediately complied, but shuffled back into the room and put themselves between Artemis and the intruder. The blonde huffed once as she adjusted her hold on her niece, but didn't say anything.

"What are you doing here?" Impulse asked once Superboy had collected himself. "And where are the others?"

"Missing kids," the dark haired teen answered, shifting a look at the occupants in the room behind the speedster. "We were scouting out the area and I picked up some heat signatures in here. I thought I should check it out."

"Solo?" Artemis asked as she stepped forward and handed off Lian to Impulse when the little girl made grabby hands in his direction. "Wow, that's either incredibly cocky, or incredibly stupid."

"Who's she?" Superboy asked, nodding his head towards the toddler.

"None of your business," Gravity interrupted, striding forward and glaring down the taller boy, hands on her hips. "Mom and dad have this covered so you and your little friends can just butt out!"

"We don't exactly take kindly to people that scare the little princess," Hotspot added, flames flickering across his hands for a moment. "So you've already got a black mark in our books, don't make it worse."

Superboy's eyes flickered across the other two teens, down to the much smaller bundle in Impulse's arms, and finally between the duo themselves. "Mom and dad?" he asked, before nodding his head at the little girl. "Yours then?" Suddenly his expression shut down for a moment, and then he shook his head and held up a hand. "The rest of the team is on the way, maybe explanations should wait."

Artemis pulls a face. "And exactly how much did you tell them?" she demands, though a familiar cackle interrupts Superboy before he can respond to her question.

"Dude! When'd you two have a kid?" Robin laughed.

"Artemis! Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Miss Martian pouted, floating into the blonde girl's face. "I mean, I know we don't talk all that much anymore, but we're still friends, aren't we?"

"You know, for being this super sneaky, elite team, you guys are kind of oblivious, aren't you?" Impulse smirks at them as he bounces Lian on his hip. His grin stretches wider at the blank looks. "She's not ours."

"She might as well be, with the amount of time we spend watching her," Artemis grumbles under her breath.

"That's true," Impulse responds, tilting his head in her direction.

"You sure?" Robin asks, leaning in to get a closer look at the little girl. "She's got a blend of both of you."

"Neither of us has dark hair," Artemis replied.

"No, but you're half Vietnamese," Robin states as though it's obvious.

"And yet blonde and red hair are recessive traits," Impulse smirks. "Try again bird boy."

Robin frowns, but eventually inclines his head. "Okay, fair point. So whose is she? And why would you bring her on a mission with you?"

"Because when you're asked to watch her, you watch her," Gravity giggles, wiggling her fingers in front of Lian. "Auntie and Uncle don't like to be interrupted on date 'night'," she added, making air quotes around the last word.

"Anyways, any more information would be telling," Impulse stated, shooting a look in Gravity's direction. "You're the protégé to the 'World's Greatest Detective'," he added with a sly smirk in Robin's direction. "You figure it out. What are you all doing here, by the way?"

"Following up a lead on a case," Robin answered evasively.

"If it has anything to do with the taken Dosed kids, we've got this," Artemis said, a frown tugging at her lips. "When did you get a suit change?"

"When I decided to stop living under Batman's thumb," Robin replied. "Name change came with it actually. I'm called Nightwing now."

"Still the bird theme then," Impulse smirked. "Good, bird boy's stuck around too long for me to go changing you're nickname now."

Nightwing rolled his eyes, but a grin tugged at his lips. "How do you know about the missing kids?" he asked, turning to Artemis again.

"We told mom and dad, of course!" Gravity chirped in reply.

"Mom and dad?" Nightwing deadpanned as he looked between the pair, and eyebrow raised.

"If you can get her to stop, it'll be a miracle," Impulse sighed. "We kind of just roll with it now. At least she's the only one."

"That's what you think," Hotshot snorted. "We all call you that; she's just the only one that says it to your faces."

"All?" Nightwing pressed, his eyebrow ticking up higher.

"Telling," Artemis sung. "We don't share our secrets, you don't share yours, remember?"

"Okay, fine," Nightwing sighed. "I assume you've already gotten a look at the complex the kids are being held at?"

"Not yet actually," Artemis answered. "We came straight here after we got the call."

Nightwing's eyebrow ticked even further up, but he didn't say anything. "It's not too bad really, though the area around it is burnt and flattened. You two, I'm guessing," he motioned between Hotshot and Gravity.

"Guilty," Gravity grinned wide.

"That's increased the guard rotation, but it doesn't look like they've moved the kids yet," Nightwing said. "I've got the layout from a fly-by we did in the Bioship before we touched down." He pulled up his holoscreen and nodded when Artemis immediately did the same. A few quick keystrokes had the information shared between them.

"Basic, middle of nowhere, super-secret base layout," she mumbled, twisting her wrist a bit so Impulse could see when he dropped his chin to her shoulder.

"At least on the surface level," Impulse nodded. "Leave Lian here while we run their gambit?"

"Best available option," Artemis replied.

"No!" Gravity pouted, stamping her foot on the ground. "We're not leaving you two on your own."

"These guys will be going too," Impulse told her as his head nodded in the direction of the assembled team in front of them.

"All the more reason for us to watch your backs," Hotshot said, eyeing the other group with a faint sneer on his face.

"It's not that we don't want to watch the little princess," Gravity added, her voice and tone shifting to something much more serious. "But we're not comfortable leaving you two with them."

"Wouldn't be the first time we had to team up," Artemis pointed out, a soft smile on her face as she glanced over at the younger girl. "Besides, Hotshot is hurt and someone really does need to keep an eye on Lian."

Hotshot and Gravity shared a look, before simultaneous defeated sighs escaped from their mouths. "Fine," Gravity grumbled, reaching out to take the toddler when Impulse lifted her to hand her off. "But let it be known that I am lodging a formal complaint with HR!"

"We are HR," Impulse laughed, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

"Then expect a strongly worded letter in your inbox!" Gravity sniffed, before spinning on her heel and retreating back into the room.

"We'll hold off for two hours," Hotshot said, looking between the two. "Then we're coming in after you. After we call in the cavalry of course," he added with a smirk.

"I thought you said we were the closest," Artemis frowned at him.

"You were, but that doesn't mean that everyone who can get here won't make the trip if we tell them that mom and dad went in with Leaguers and we haven't seen them since," Hotshot shrugged in reply. "You'd have an army here in an instant."

"We'll see you in two hours then," Impulse laughed, shaking his head. "Just rest up and keep an eye on her."

"Don't worry, our resident manic pixie is safe with me," Hotshot grinned before he too slipped into the room.

"All right boys and girls, let's get this thing over with," Artemis said, spinning around to face the assembled group. "They're pretty serious about the two hour limit and you don't want to see what happens when they decide they need to call in the troops."

"No, I'd imagine not," Nightwing grinned at them. "Sounds like you're quite the popular parents."

"Oh no, don't you start!" Artemis shot back. "It's bad enough we get it from them!"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of you know," Nightwing laughed. "Even if we never really pegged you for the parenting type," he added with a cheeky grin.

"One hour and fifty eight minutes!" Gravity called from the room. "We have a phone tree now too, you know!"

Artemis and Impulse just laughed, shaking their heads. "Yes kids," Impulse called back into the room. "Behave while mom and I are gone."

"Really?" Artemis asked him, a grin on her face.

"If they're all calling us that, might as well not fight it," Impulse shrugged, a grin spreading across his own face.

"One hour fifty six!" Gravity called again.

"Well, you heard the girl, shall we?" Impulse asked, before he swept Artemis up into his arms and raced from the building.

* * *

 **AN2** : So I figured I'd end it here because I feel like that was more in the spirit of the prompt. Obviously they get the kids out and Gravity does not end up needing to call in her "siblings" (much to her disappointment). Remember to send me any prompts or themes you want to see!


	3. Murphy's Law Really Sucks

**AN1** : Hey all! We're back for shot 3! In this one, I had a request for some Spitfire relationship stuff and I thought, what goes better with that than Wally trying to propose, but Murphy's Law keeps butting in. I hope you all enjoy!

 **Disclaimer** : Nope, still don't own a thing.

* * *

He'd had the ring picked out months ago and it had been burning a hole in his pocket for weeks. Honestly, he was a little surprised he was able to keep it hidden for as long as he has; she was always the sneakier of the two of them and she always seemed to know when he was hiding something from her. It had made getting presents for her a nightmare. On the other hand though, it was their last semester of their undergraduate studies and both of them were kept busy trying to keep their "family" in line. Though the group of Dosed that had fallen in under their leadership was running much more smoothly these days it didn't exactly stop them from having issues pop up every once in a while. Tonight though, he had put out the call and everyone knew not to interrupt unless someone was actually dying. Even then, their first call was supposed to be to someone in their network close to the area and then the hospital.

Wally smiled as he went through the plan one more time. He'd managed to convince his lab professor to let him take off early that night so he could get home and set everything up before Artemis got home from class. As neither of them were all that big on fancy restaurants with overpriced, under portioned meals, he took it upon himself to do all of the cooking for dinner tonight. He'd rushed home and immediately started pulling together her favorite meal. While everything was in the oven he'd dashed back out to pick up a small bouquet of peonies. Artemis had remarked on more than one occasion that roses were overrated and when he'd asked the girl at the shop what he should get she'd smiled and handed him the bouquet.

"They mean a lot of different things," the girl had said. "But if you're proposing to your girlfriend then starting off with a happy life, happy marriage, and prosperity seems like a good omen."

Wally smiled to himself as he carefully set the flowers carefully into the vase he'd put on the table and coasted his hand over the lump in his pocket one more time. This was it; he was finally going to do it. They'd talked about it off and on as the years marched on in their relationship, but it was finally time to actually ask her point blank to marry him. His grin widened when the oven beeped and he rushed over to pull the dish out. A frown quickly followed when he heard the intercom buzzer chime and hoped that Artemis had somehow just forgotten her keys, but a quick glance at the clock shot that down rather quickly. Reaching over, he pressed the button that would allow entry into the building and waited for the knock on the door. He didn't have to wait long and sighed when he heard multiple voices on the other side of the door. Already resigned, he pulled the door open to allow Roy and Jade to step into the small apartment.

"I forgot to call you," he grumbled as he shut the door.

"Are you expecting company or something?" Roy asked, shooting a look over at the nicely laid out table.

"Cause we're still going to need you to babysit anyway," Jade added as she handed Lian over to Wally and dropped her bag on the floor. "Something came up and Red and I need to go look into it."

"As much as I don't mind watching her, can't you take her with you?" Wally asked, even as he adjusted his hold on his almost-niece she she'd be more comfortable on his hip.

"Into what could potentially be an active fire fight?" Jade asked with a raised brow in his direction and mock outrage in her voice. "What kind of parents would take their one year old daughter into that kind of situation? Who do you take us for?"

"The kind that regularly use her in covert, undercover operations, especially if your free babysitting service happens to be unavailable," Wally deadpanned right back.

"Point," Roy agreed, "but we'd still feel better if she stayed here with you two instead. It shouldn't take us more than a couple of days. We'll be back by Sunday night."

Wally glanced between the two, gauging if he could push it, before he sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, sure, all right."

"It's not like your company will mind," Jade said flippantly. "All of your kids already know about Lian and anyone in the League just think she's already yours and the two of you just won't admit it," she added with a Cheshire grin.

"I don't think it was company he was looking forward to," Roy said as his own wicked grin spread across his face and he shot a pointed look at the lump in Wally's pocket.

"You're spending far too much time with your wife," Wally scowled back and turned to hide his pocket from view. "I remember a time when you were actually fairly nice."

"Don't worry, there will be other times to propose," Roy just grinned wider, laughing when Wally let out a distressed noise.

"Excuse me, what?" Jade demanded, looking back and forth between the two men in the room. She shot another look at the table and burst out laughing. "Maybe it's a good thing we showed up. Artemis hates peonies almost as much as she hates roses. Your proposal would have been a disaster from the start. Anyway, have fun, keep an eye on my little girl, and no spiriting her off to South America!"

"That only happened once!" Wally shouted as Jade and Roy made a quick exit out of the apartment building. He sighed once more and looked over at the table. "Guess I'd better get some of this cleaned up before Artemis gets back; can't exactly go through with the plan now."

 **SJaOS**

The second time he tried to propose it was more or less an attempt to actually ask Artemis before any of their "family" had the chance to blurt it out. He cared about the rag tag bunch of suddenly super powered teens they'd more or less adopted all those years ago, he really did, but sometimes they could be some of the nosiest pains in the ass he'd ever known. He'd already stopped three people from saying anything on two different impromptu missions they'd been called in for and he'd put out a general gag order on any written communications that even hinted at the idea he was going to ask Artemis to marry him. He was quite proud of himself for the last one, to be honest. Maybe watching your girlfriend write computer code or hack into various databases and systems over the years does help you learn a thing or two. Still, there was only so much he could do to keep it from getting out and he'd had just about enough.

They were sitting on the couch, just watching a movie and enjoying some rare down time and Wally thought it was now or never. He couldn't keep running interference forever and honestly, he was damn lucky Artemis hadn't seemed to notice anything suspicious yet. He'd just resolved to go grab the ring hidden in his dresser when their communicators simultaneously went off.

"Of course," he mumbled to himself, letting Artemis go from where she had been cuddled up next to him and grabbed his communicator.

"You've got Impulse," he said as he flipped it open, frowning when he noticed Artemis' was still ringing.

"Hey dad!" a cheerful voice chirped on the other end. "It's Shifter. If you're not too busy, we could use a little help down here in New Mexico."

"What happened?" Wally asked, far too used to everyone in their "family" calling him dad to even comment on it anymore.

"Well, see, Shade and I were looking into a few things and we may or may not have knowingly wandered into restricted territory." Shouting could suddenly be heard over the other end, though it only sounded like one man. "Hey!" Shifter shouted back, his voice sounding further away. "I'm allowed one phone call!" The line abruptly cut off and Wally immediately went to work running the tracer program.

"So where are you headed?" Artemis asked as she came out of the bedroom where her communicator had been.

"New Mexico," Wally answered shortly. "Shifter and Shade seemed to have gotten themselves arrested or detained."

"My money's on detained," Artemis smiled. "Nothing short of maximum security could hold those two anywhere."

"True," he sighed as he rushed out of the room and suited up in seconds. "You?" he asked, his cowl still hanging down around his neck.

"New York," Artemis replied. "Poison Ivy is making a nuisance of herself apparently and two of ours got caught in the blast. Normally I'd just let the League handle it, but Twister called it in. Ivy's got Quake and Nocturne."

"I wouldn't want the League anywhere near those two," Wally agreed with a wince. "You gonna be okay on your own?"

"Twister's there," Artemis said with a shrug. "And we don't actually have to take Ivy on, we just need to get Quake and Nocturne away from her. Between the two of us, she and I can handle that no problem."

"Just be careful," Impulse replied as he pulled his cowl on. "See you back here in a few hours?"

"You'll likely get back first, but sure," Artemis agreed, stepping up on her tip toes to kiss him once before the speedster rushed off.

 **SJaOS**

Attempts three and four were interrupted much the same way and even carefully planning out attempt five, including remembering to let everyone (Jade and Roy especially this time) know about his plans, that was shot down faster than he could run the second Leaguers called them in to help deal with a bunch of villains banding together to try and take them down. After that, he made a mental note to at least let Nightwing know next time he tried to propose. He and Dick were still friends, especially after the younger boy had seen the sense in striking off on his own as well, and he'd at least be able to delay the call long enough for Wally to actually pop the question, maybe.

 **SJaOS**

Wally wasn't even prepared for attempt six. Honestly, he's not even sure he could call it an attempt because he hadn't been planning on it, the ring was a continent away in his sock drawer, and the words more or less just slipped out. He blamed a combination of fast acting sedative and piling frustration over not being able to ask.

He and Artemis had gotten a tip on a human trafficking ring they had been trying to bust holing up in the middle of nowhere Australia and immediately made a run for the other country. The tip turned out to be a trap and Impulse had taken a dart to the arm filled with a sedative engineered to work against his bodies fast acting response and put him under. It didn't work quite as well as they'd hoped, Impulse was going strong for another five minutes, before a wave of nausea hit and vertigo became a real problem.

Artemis acted quickly and got them both out, though Impulse was becoming increasingly less than helpful. She'd finally managed to find them a small shack to hide out in and wait for the drug to run its course. She had thought the sedative would just put him to sleep, but instead she was dealing with a very high boyfriend that seemed to have lost his brain to mouth filter somewhere along the way. He wasn't saying anything she didn't already know, but it wasn't exactly anything she wanted anyone else overhearing either. Once they managed to get out safely, she looked back on the night with amusement.

Wally, on the other hand, was mostly mortified. He remembered everything he said or did, including his drunken proclamations to truck driver that had been kind enough to pick them up off the side of the road, that he could make his truck run more fuel efficient if he let him under the hood to tweak a few things. It had been a good thing Artemis had redirected him, especially since his plans involved using a gallon of milk and a protein bar. Unfortunately Artemis' attempts to redirect him only led him to loudly, and off key, start serenading her and then promptly ask her to marry him.

"Try asking me again when you can actually string the sentence together without slurring any of the words," she had laughed in reply.

 **SJaOS**

Following that disaster, Wally made sure to plan out every last detail for attempt seven. He made all of the calls he needed to make, made sure both of their schedules were clear, and made sure to double check everything. This was going to be it, damnit! He was going to ask her after their night out and nothing was going to stop him. Except, of course, Artemis coming home early from class running a fever and ready to throw up at even the mention of food, or moving, or anything that required any sort of energy.

 **SJaOS**

"Are you sure you're feeling better?" Wally asked as he and Artemis cuddled on the couch that weekend. "You're still looking a bit pale."

"I'm fine, promise," Artemis sighed as she snuggled closer into his chest.

"All right, I'll stop asking," Wally chuckled softly as he ran a hand up and down her back.

"That's what you said the last time," Artemis reminded him, looking up briefly to grin at him.

"What if I asked a different question then?" Wally asked, his mouth running away from him and his mind not even paying attention.

"Well now, that depends. What kind of question?" Artemis returned as she turned her head and propped her head on his chest.

"Something along the lines of, will you marry me?" Wally said, grinning at her.

"Took you long enough," Artemis laughed as she leaned in to kiss him. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to ask you."

* * *

 **AN2** : Hey all! Just a reminder to send me prompts of things you'd like to see, scenes you wished were longer, etc. from Who We Are. This project is driven entirely by all of you! Also, just as an fyi, I'm in my last semester of grad school and working on graduating and finding a job. So bear with me if it takes a while to answer your prompts, but I promise I will get to them! Thanks all! Your reviews/favorites/follows give me life!


End file.
